Gil LeBreton of the Star-Telegram.com is down on the World Baseball Classic:
The Classic’s inception three years ago was supposed to put baseball on the world map. Tired of sending the planet acid rain and Barney Miller reruns, America will again don its “USA” suits and dare the world to take down our pants.
How do we know this? Because the line of U.S. major league stars who have already begged out of the tournament now stretches around the ballpark block.
Grady Sizemore, Nick Markakis, Chase Utley, Joe Mauer, Jonathan Papelbon, Joe Nathan — all have declined invitations, citing everything from groin surgery to wanting to be at the birth of their first child.
Clearly, the patriotism factor is tepid at best. But that’s just one of the things working against the World Baseball Classic, which begins Thursday.
Some nations are sending a veritable Who’s Who to represent their countries. Team USA, meanwhile, appears overstocked in relative Who’s Thats.
Take Tuesday’s exhibition against the Yankees, for example. Roy Oswalt was scheduled to start for the U.S. team, followed by Jonathan Broxton, Matt Lindstrom, Brad Ziegler, Matt Thornton and LaTroy Hawkins.
Three years ago at the inaugural Classic, the Americans were snuffed out and embarrassed in the second round. This time, then, it won’t be a surprise when the bullpen coughs up a bronze medal against the Koreans or Cubans.
Spring is the time for baseball players to get ready for the long season.
Spring isn’t the time for players to try to muster a patriotic fever.
It’s a case — a classic case — of a wrong idea at the wrong time.
The WBC is a nice idea in theory, but I completely agree – the timing of it is awful. You’re asking major league players to essentially play in an extended tournament before the start of the regular season. Pitchers break down enough throughout the course of a 162 game season – now you want them to pitch even more? It doesn’t make sense.
